Luba’s great grandson speaks out on Hannington’s death

Two of the great grandsons of the chiefs of Wanga Kingdom and Luba chiefdom give their views about the man who was loved, protected and killed by their respective great grandparents.

First is Chief Luba Munulo Juma, a great grandson of chief Luba on whose orders Bishop Hannington died.

“Just like in the case of Jesus, there should be no cause for regret about Bishop Hannington’s death because he died for a just cause, religion. His death was painful but we should be rejoicing in it.

According to my family’s account, the bishop’s stubbornness led to his death. He entered the chief’s homestead from the back, this was strange in our culture. Through Swahili interpreters, Hannington told chief Luba that he wanted to reach a great king in Buganda.

Chief Luba told him that he was Kabaka Mwanga’s representative in that area and he had to first get permission from Mwanga before he could allow him to proceed to Buganda.

The bishop had insisted that he was representing a kingdom bigger than Buganda, so Luba was wondering how Hannington would be talking of a kingdom bigger than that of Buganda, and that the king he represented was everywhere, and he was with him where he was.

Fastest runners
Luba sent his fastest running men to Kabaka Mwanga, when they came back, the order was for him to kill Hannington, but Luba did not kill immediately. He asked Hannington to call his mighty king to save him. Luba gave Hannington time to get his king as Luba went for lunch.

He told Hannington ‘if after lunch you have not brought your greater king to save you, I am going to kill you because I have to follow the orders.’

From lunch, Luba put Hannington on trial, being told to climb a slippery dome covered with algae. He tried climbing it saying, ‘what shall I do’ and the people around told Luba that Hannington was saying ‘I’m Waiswa Baidu’.

He failed the test and Luba told him, ‘I’m going to kill you because you have failed to bring your king whom you said is everywhere.’

Hannington requested to note something in his diary, after writing in the book it was put in a pot where it was kept until the pot was handed over to the commission of inquiry which came from Britain. The commission later declared Luba innocent of the murder charges.”